Albert Perna, Perna FoundationFresh off serving as the grand marshal for a parade in Howard Beach, Albert Perna is already moving onto something new. But that’s par for the course for Perna, who works endlessly on his Perna Fou...

Aaron Popowsky, N-Hance OwnerWhen renovating wood floors or cabinets, there can be a strong lingering smell of fumes that can take over a week to leave a home. That is why when Long Island City resident Aaron Popowsky found ou...

Ron Cohen, Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance CorpsRon Cohen grew up in Fresh Meadows and attended The Kew-Forest School. Now Cohen is giving back to the community he calls home by continuing his second year serving as president of the Forest Hills...

Dr. Thomas Onorato, LaGuardia ProfessorDr. Thomas Onorato, a biology professor at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, is teaming up with professors from Brown University, St. John’s, College of Mount Saint Vincent and CUNY ...

Salvatore Lopizzo, Yana ServicesYana Services, which stands for “You Are Never Alone,” is a resource center located in Rockaway that has helped out community members for over a year now. The organization really grew, though, in t...

Rob Caldera, CYO DirectorRob Caldera has been part of the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) since he was a 15-year-old shooting guard and second basemen for St. Joseph’s Parish in Astoria. Even then, Caldera was more inter...

Orly Whaba, Life Vest InsideLife Vest Inside, a program founded by Sheepshead Bay resident Orly Wahba to combat bullying and teen depression, is getting national attention. “As a child I had very, very low self-esteem,” Wahba...

Andrea Ormeno, QEDC Director At just 24-years old, Andrea Ormeno is the new director of the Queens Economic Development Corporation’s Women’s Business Center. Ormeno joined QEDC in 2008 before becoming a full-time employee in ...

Fidel Tavarez, LGCC GraduateFidel Tavarez dropped out of his third four-year college before he realized it was time for a change. He needed a place where he could push himself while learning the basics, which was when he enro...

Tiana Meilinger, Vaya BagsTianna Meilinger started Vaya Bags in 2005 with a single messenger bag she made for herself. The bag was strong, sturdy and perfect for her commute. People loved the bag so much they started reques...

David Daraio, Maspeth FederalAs a high school graduate, David Daraio was looking for a part-time job to keep him busy during the summer of 1994, so he took a job at Maspeth Federal Bank not knowing what to expect. “I needed a ...

Mercedes Cano, Immigration LawyerSome 42 years ago, when Mercedes Cano first arrived in the United States as an undocumented and non-English speaker from Colombia, she could not imagine becoming a future immigration lawyer in Jack...

The CIA has concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help President-elect Donald Trump win the White House, and not just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Citing U.S. officials briefed on the matter, the Post said intelligence agencies had identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including the chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, to WikiLeaks. The officials described the individuals as people known to the intelligence community who were part of a wider Russian operation to boost Trump and reduce Clinton's chances of winning the election.

New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was fined $12,154 by the NFL on Friday for verbal abuse and excessive profanity directed toward an official. The fine is at least the fifth of the season for the controversial player, who reportedly confronted an official on the field after the Giants' 24-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday. Beckham was irked in the first quarter after being called for offensive pass interference and sharply criticized officiating after the game.